“Recitatif” is a short story by Toni Morrison about two young girls, one is black and the other is white. The two girls, Twyla and Roberta, meet each other with preconceived ideas about the other. The relationship between the girls changes intensely as the two get older and establish lives of their own. The author never states which of the two girls is white and which is black, but many statements throughout the text mold the reader’s idea about which race each of the girls reside as.…
There are multiple similarities in the themes emerging from these stories including eruptive small crimes, attention to detail, apparels, crime investigation, location or setting, deception, and blessings in disguise. It is possible to share exactly the same set of themes and even setting, yet have a different set of storylines. This discussion allows readers and potential authors to find an interesting relationship between unrelated articles. Although stories and setting may have been different, the outcome in terms of shared theme is ultimately the…
In this essay, I will be analyzing “Redeployment” by Phil Klay, through the lens of reader response. If you've ever been privy to a military conversation you may have been quickly lost in code words and thoughts of action movies. The truth is, for those who have not experienced it, military life can be very confusing; with complicated slang terms and meticulously planned events. Even for those in the military, aspects may always remain unknown. In “Redeployment” Klay creates a narrative in which readers can constantly question the intended Audience.…
FICTION Exam Instructions & Prompts 1. Toni Morrison “Recitatif” (200-214) How do the girls’ relationships with their mothers affect how Twyla and Roberta develop and change in the story? From the beginning the two girls shared a common bond, that was different from the other resident of St. Bonny.…
The Colonel by Carolyn Forché is told from the perspective of a person visiting a governor, the Colonel, during a time of strife in a province or country. Presumably, the protagonist had come to negotiate some form of peace and rights for the people and is met with the Colonel’s collection of ears as a token of hostility. The story begins very calm and slow; however, it later escalates to a more suspenseful turn of events. Carolyn Forché creates her energy from the tension build-up, the shock value, and the pace she utilizes in her story.…
The way the setting is described in “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” creates a foreboding mood and reflects a character’s feelings through the mood by using vivid sensory details. The setting works to create a foreboding mood throughout “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” by using vivid sensory details. An example of this is when the author says, “Greg had noticed that the door, once boarded over, had been slightly ajar . . . He reached the house just as another flash of lightning changed the night to day for an instant, then returned the graffiti-scarred building to the grim shadows.”…
As many other authors would not include this additional conflict in order to give a more delighted journey to the character and for the audience, Jacobs decides to paint a detailed depiction for the troublesome encounters her main character faces. By including that a reptile had struck the character’s leg, the readers are faced with a sudden surprise when expecting a happy ending for her escape journey. Also, including her character’s ‘motto’, “Give me liberty, or give me death”, the audience is provided further details about the character’s anguish perspective on her journey to freedom. Without a doubt, Jacobs showed the intricate truth through realistic events her character faces on the way to freedom by including the character’s state of mind and realistic…
As the drama unfolds, the crimes only seem to escalate, from sexual assault, to the murder of a young woman. This novel brings to light many issues…
The world is not black and white, but as gray as the smoke from a gun ripping through races dividing them. In Toni Morrison’s short story, Recitatif, there is a constant division of races specifically between blacks and whites. Within this story you learn of two young ladies named Twyla and Roberta growing up whilst the civil rights movement is occurring; and as time goes by racism effects these young ladies more and more until they start to fuse into the racism. In Morrison’s Recitatif she explores the effects of racism causing dissolution between friends, bigotry, and stereotypes. Racism can rip friends apart faster than an ambulance cascading down the street trying to save a life.…
In Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif,” Twyla Benson retells the story of her time in St. Bonaventure shelter and encounters with Roberta Frisk, but they remember different things each time they reminisce on the past. Twyla finds herself evaluating what really happened in her life, shifting ideas based on her own memories and what Roberta thinks. Her thoughts are ultimately distorted, raising questions on what is actually true. Twyla, as the narrator, tells the story with her own bias, making it difficult to discern the authenticity of each thought or event. Her thoughts, however, are influenced by present events, which can be considered to recognize the reality of a situation.…
New York: Pantheon Books, 1997 Sklar, Howard. " Stereotype, Sympathy, and Disability in Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif”. " What the Hell Happened to Maggie? Helsinki: Stanley, Sandra Kumamoto. Maggie in Toni Morrison's "Récitatif: The Africanist Presence and Disability Studies.…
Maggie is an enigma within the story; so much about her is completely forgotten save for the characteristics that lead her to be attacked. Roberta and Twyla cannot even recall what race she was they saw her only as a lowly kitchen woman. She seems to lack identity entirely with her being mute, she becomes a blank slate, a zero, and a passive victim for Twyla and Roberta to feel guilty about as they debate their memories (Shirley). Terry Otten, in his critical essay "Toni Morrison's 'Recitatif' of Race, Gender, and Myth.", states that Maggie simultaneously represents the lost innocence of Twyla and Roberta and the mothers who abandoned them both and the misplaced rage they show is at the failure of their own maternal figures. This conclusion is one I am inclined to agree with.…
In the beginning of the play, Biff is telling Happy about his big plan, to start a business with him. Why did I pick this sound choice because I feel this song really relates to the tone of this situation. At first, Biff was really sad of his current situation, but then he started to sound more confident in himself and I feel this song portrays that. What I feel the Artist is trying to see about the song is, don't give up it's more about the journey than the destination. The song first starts out slow then song the begins to sound happy and inspirational.…
Toni Morrison’s only short story was “Recitatif.” She never reveals which character is white or black. The story explores the relationship between Twyla and Roberta, and their experiences based on their racial differences. By decoding each characters racial identity, we can then understand how race defines a person’s status in society. In analyzing the social cues such as culture, politics and economic signs, to identify the racial identity of Twyla and Roberta.…
Major Essay Two: Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif” In Toni Morrison’s only short story “Recitatif”, Morrison writes about race, sympathy, and stereotype through two main characters Roberta and Twyla. There is another character Maggie, who is disabled, but she seems to be a go-between. Throughout the story, there are questions about the race of each character. One girl is black and one girl is white.…